Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Baker!

[The Borgified Corpse]

I've been surprisingly successful in getting my best friend into Doctor Who. I loaned her Season 27 and she fell in love within 3 episodes. She's even trying to figure out how to put together a Rose Tyler costume. When I loaned her Season 28, she refused to give it back until I suggested a prisoner exchange and I gave her Torchwood Season 1 & Stargate SG-1 Season 4.

I haven't gotten around to loaning her Season 29 yet but I did loan her a couple of my classic Doctor Who DVDs-- "The Ribos Operation" (which was the story that sold me on the show) & "The Five Doctors" (an excellent sampling of many of the great characters from the show's 1st 20 years). She watched "The Ribos Operation" and she confessed to me that she really couldn't see Tom Baker in the role. My heart just sank. I didn't think anyone was even allowed to be a Doctor Who fan without liking Tom Baker.

Is there anything I can do? Is there any hope for rehabilitating her feelings toward Tom Baker? What chance does the rest of the series stand?

 

[Orac Zen]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

She sounds quite sensible to me. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[DWF]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

Not now you should've showed her The Ribos Operation first now she's stuck on the newer Doctors and it's OK too.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I don't like Tom Baker, and I've managed to get by as a Doctor Who fan. But you could suggest she look at one of Baker's other stories, and point out that it's probably not a good idea to judge Baker's seven years in the role on the basis of "The Ribos Oberation," or any one story.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

^Any Tom Baker neophyte recommendations? (I do own "Genesis of the Daleks" on DVD. Between the Daleks, Davros, Sarah Jane, and just a much more epic scope than the old series usually had, I'm sure she could find something to like.)

I suppose I should have showed her the Tom Baker stuff first before loaning her the Eccleston/Tennant years. But I was afraid that the old stuff would turn her off entirely because it's all so slow. I mean, I have a hard time slogging through the old stuff sometimes. The only thing that keeps me going is the great, commanding performances by the old Doctors.

 

[Timofnine]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

Tom Baker is actually my least favourite Doctor, I don't know why but I just cant seem to gel with his character, even though I have seen his stories from an early age.

 

[mimic]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

In the past week, I've gotten three people watching the new series.

Show her 'The Pirate Planet' or maybe 'Robots of Death.' I still qualify as an old Who neophyte (seen about ten stories), but I recall liking those. You might have more luck if you let her finish all the new stuff first before going back to Tom Baker, though. I wasn't much interested in looking back until I'd seen all the new episodes.

 

[Captain Pike]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

(Note: I am only kinda sorta just about half-serious here, so don't anyone get too bent out of shape, please )

Tom Baker embodies the role so utterly and completely that I would suggest she should forget Doctor Who entirely, and perhaps go watch The Bill or something..

Bite me.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

(Note: I am only kinda sorta just about half-serious here, so don't anyone get too bent out of shape, please )

Tom Baker embodies the role so utterly and completely that I would suggest she should forget Doctor Who entirely, and perhaps go watch The Bill or something..

Bite me.

Indeed.

 

[Count Zero]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I wasn't much interested in looking back until I'd seen all the new episodes.

Yeah, same here. I've only started watching the old series after the end of last season, from the beginning, though. It's great fun. I'm watching The Chase right now, and in the first episode they're rocking along to the Beatles. Doctor Who and the Beatles together at last!

 

[FalTorPan]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

Before the premiere of the current program, Tom Baker was easily my favorite Doctor. Now, with the sheer fun of the new show, it's hard not to consider either Eccleston or Tennant contenders for Top Doc.

Tom Baker is still a great Doctor though!

 

[Winterwind]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

Well, Tom remains my favourite, followed closely by Eccleston. I'd definitely suggest trying again with Genesis of the Daleks.

We all have our favourites for various reasons. Sometimes, they don't even make sense. Peter Davison for example, is my least favourite Doctor and I can't put my finger on why. Sometimes, I even get cold shivers because Moffat is my favourite writer for the new series, I'm looking forward to him helming DW but... his favourite Doctor is my least favourite. *shrugs*

 

[Kelso]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

The Ribos Operation? Seriously??

You should have gone with City of Death.

 

[Demonland]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

The original poster gave me a heart attack. All I saw of the thread title was Tragic News and Tom Baker.

And back on topic .... why "The Ribos Operation"? You may as well show a prospective trekkie, "Shades of Grey".

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I think I much prefer Peter Davieson to Tom Baker. Nice scarf, though.

 

[26138]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I guess it could have been worse, you could have shown your friend Timelash or The Web Planet! Try Planet of Evil or The Pyramids of Mars - they're both available on DVD.

 

[CommodoreKong]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I think I much prefer Peter Davieson to Tom Baker. Nice scarf, though.

Same here.

 

[Tomalak]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I get the impression for most American fans, Tom Baker is the Doctor, because his episodes were shown the most often.

I have to say he isn't my favourite. When he's good, he's very, very good, but there were large portions of his tenure when he's lazy, playing for laughs, bored, and obviosuly inebriated.

I'd probably rate Hartnell and Troughton above him overall, and probably Eccleston and Pertwee too.

However, The Ribos Operation is brilliant!

 

[AdmiralGarak]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I get the impression for most American fans, Tom Baker is the Doctor, because his episodes were shown the most often.

Up until the new series, that was certainly the case. Very few PBS stations aired anything but Tom Baker's episodes. Now, of course, most Americans are likely to think of David Tennant as THE Doctor, just as in the UK.

 

[ClayinCA]

Re: Tragic news: My best friend is a heretic who doesn't like Tom Bak

I have a couple of friends who don't like Tom Baker at all (and they've been watching the show for thirteen or fourteen years). As someone who thinks old-school Doctor Who was never better than season fourteen, I just kind of scratch my head in puzzlement at this, but whatever...

But to address a far more crucial part of your post (and this is tongue-in-cheek, so please don't think I'm actually being an asshole about this): there is no Season 27, 28, 29, or 30! It's Season One, Two, Three, or Four!!

(breathes heavily)

...There. I'm okay now...